Sunday, April 9, 2017

April 9, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Palm Sunday

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For April 9, 2017 The Trump
Administration continues to evolve as KT McFarland is stepping down as deputy
national security adviser to become Ambassador to Singapore; ISIS is alive and
well in Egypt as two Coptic churches were bombed by suicide bombers killing 43
innocents and wounding a 100 on Palm Sunday; giving credence to the threat that
ISIS is trying to infiltrate refugees coming into Europe, Norwegian police
arrested a 17 year old asylum seeker from Russia for planting an explosive
device near a train station in Oslo which was defused by police (he entered Norway
at age 10 and was involved in extreme Islamic circles in Norway); the man
arrested in the Stockholm lorry attack was a failed Muslim asylum seeker who
had until his attack had foiled attempts of the Swedish government to deport
him; almost like a stuck record or a remake of Groundhog Day, Chicago
style, the carnage in Chicago continues
unabated with total shootings in 2017 through April 8 increasing to 813 and the
death toll rising to 149 (God help those poor minorities being shot mostly by
minorities when the weather gets warmer and the shooters’ aim gets really
better and there is more daylight to find and shoot victims) and yet nothing,
absolutely nothing, appears to be occurring to address this blight on blacks
and minorities which is what racism from a black mayor really looks like who
appears to care only about the rights of illegal aliens in his sanctuary
city (when will Chicago residents
through the city council try to impeach this pathetic, inept mayor?).

As always, I hope you enjoy
today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Joan Jett and the Blackhearts,
factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant quote from Judge Henry
Whitfield, knowing that if you go to the zoo today make sure you ask if there
are any tigons to view, you will avoid being sesquipedalian, secure
in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events
like birthdays, weddings, or anniversaries, you know that the Alaskanpoet
can provide you with a unique customized poem at a great
price tailored to the event and the recipient. You need only contact me
for details.

1. National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day—commemorating the
sacrifices endured by our prisoners of war and first proclaimed by President Reagan
in 1987; April 9th was selected as it corresponds to the surrender
by the largest number of American soldiers in World War II to the Japanese on
the Bataan Peninsula on this day in 1942.

2. Palm Sunday—commemorating the
entry of Jesus into Jerusalem to be crucified by the Romans and rise again to
ascend into heaven.

3. 1982 Number One Song—celebrating the number one song in 1982 on a run of 7 weeks in that position “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll”
by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. Here is a recording of the band performing
the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3T_xeoGES8;
the twenty year vegetarian is still going strong on tour and is in the Rock and
Rock Hall of Fame.

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “tigon” which means the offspring of
a male tiger and a lioness (wonder if the union was accomplished in the dark
not knowing what species was on the receiving end).

5. Catfish Plate-—celebrating the birth on this day in 1946 of James Hunter,
better known to his baseball fans as Catfish who became the youngest pitcher to
record 200 wins at age 31 but arm problems forced an early retirement and Lou
Gehrig’s Disease prompted the manager in the sky to take the ball from his hand
and remove him from the mound permanently at the age of 53.

On this day
in:

a. 1865 General Robert E. Lee surrendered his Army of Northern
Virginia to General Ulysses S. Grant at the Appattomox Courthouse, effectively
ending the Civil War.

b. 1909 Congress passed
the Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act which increased tariffs on certain goods and split
the Republican party which proceeded to lose the 1910 midterm elections as a
result thereof.

c. 1940 Vidkun Quisling who collaborated with the Nazis after
their invasion of Norway, seized power in Norway; after Germany surrendered
Quisling was arrested, tried, convicted of treason and executed by firing squad
on October 24, 1945, leaving his contribution of the word “quisling” to the
English language which means traitor or collaborator.

d. 1945 the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission was formed.

e. 1947 eight whites and eight blacks commenced a two week long
protest of the failure of the South to follow the SCOTUS case of Irene
Morgan v Commonwealth of Virginia banning segregation in interstate travel.
Fortunately they suffered only a few arrests as opposed to the Freedom Riders
of the 60’s.

Reflections on SCOTUS from the eyes of a
southern judge that gives a perspective on how far we as a country have come
for the better in the last 70 years:"It's about time
you Jews from New York learned that you can't come down here bringing your
niggers with you to upset the customs of the South. Just to teach you a lesson,
I gave your black boys thirty days [on a chain gang], and I give you ninety."North Carolina Judge Henry WhitfieldPlease enjoy thepoems on events of interest on my twitter account below (if you
like them, retweet andfollow me) and follow my blogs. Always good, incisive and
entertaining poems on my blogs—click on the links below. Go to www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com for Ridley’s Believe It Or Not—This Day in
History, poems to inspire, touch, emote, elate and enjoy and poems on
breaking news items of importance or go to Ridley's Believe It Or Notfor just This Day
in History.

About Me

Raised in a small fishing village in Alaska, Petersburg,in the 40's and 50's. Returned in the 60's to fish commercially on purse seiners for six summers. Graduate of Stanford class of 69 with great distinction, Yale Law School class of 72, For many years an experienced, efficient, and creative lawyer and adviser providing venture capital, corporate and transactional legal services to start-ups and emerging private and public companies. Published poet, customized poems for memorable events, creator of Ridley's Believe It Or Not--This Day in History (daily factoids, holidays, quotes and often a short poem), and daily tweets in 140 iambic bytes on news of day and in the process of publishing North to Alaska--Islands of Stability in Seas of Change. Contact me have created a unique customized poem for any memorable event or to impress a loved one networking events. mridley@octechlaw.com, www.octechlaw.com, linkedin.com/in/octechlaw.com, twitter.com/alaskanpoet,
www.alaskanpoetcommentator.blogspot.com, www.alaskanpoethistory.blogspot.com